New car product said to reduces harmful emissions - and fuel costs

Tuesday

Aug 28, 2007 at 12:01 AMAug 28, 2007 at 3:50 AM

If you could save money on gas and help prevent global warming for only $150, wouldn’t you?

By Auditi Guha

The concept of saving money while doing her part to prevent global warming appealed to Sherri Anderson, who was the first customer to have what's known as the Sabertec Blade fitted onto her 1997 Honda.

Anderson commutes to her workplace in Somerville each weekday from Framingham, and she swears she's getting better mileage after the Sabertec Blade was installed on her car last October.

``I think I went from 25 miles per gallon to 31,'' she said. ``I think the less gas you use, the better it is for the environment.''

The Blade is an aftermarket automotive product developed in Brazil that decreases emissions of air pollutants and increases fuel efficiency.

``In Massachusetts, the product is sold at Ideal Engine Automotive Service in Somerville and Woodward's Auto Spring Shop in Brockton. It's also available online at sabertec.org.

``If all the cars and light duty trucks in the United States were to install the Blade, annual man-made carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by more than 23 million metric tons,'' said Sabertec CEO and founder Willima O'Brien, whose company is based in Austin, Texas. ``That's the equivalent of taking approximately 50 million passenger cars off the road.''

The Blade works by affecting a vehicle's catalytic converter, its oxygen sensor, and its central processing unit, without requiring modification to a vehicle's motor, or other internal components. It increases the efficiency
of the internal combustion process and decreases the amount of fuel that is burned during combustion.

Lab tests indicate that fuel economy was increased on a 2004 Honda Civic by as much as by 2.7 miles per gallon in city driving, and by 5 miles per gallon in highway driving.

``You get a lot of skeptics about the claims, but with my 27 years of experience, I've found there isn't any other product that can do what the Blade does to lower emissions and increase fuel economy,'' said Skip Hansen, manager of Ideal. ``Universally, I've seen nothing but positive results.''

Available in chrome and black, the Blade fits easily onto most exhaust pipes. The filter turns a filthy black in 3,000 to 5,000 miles, and will need to be replaced. Filters sell for $20.

O'Brien said that drivers easily recover that money in savings on gas bills.

``There are very few products out there that give such a quick return on your investment and will then make you money,'' said O'Brien, a Brockton native. ``If you want to make a difference and make a change, you need to get one.''

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